Building unit



F. GUNNISON Aug. 9, 1949.

BUILDING UNIT `INVENTORI F05 T5@ @MW/50N,

Filed March 14, 1946 HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 9, 1949 BUILDING UNITV Foster Gunnison, New Albany, Ind., assignor to Gunnison Homes, Inco of Delaware rponated, a corporation Application March 14, 1946, Serial No. 654,346

tween them, for the express purpose of inhibitingv the precipitation of dust on the exposed face of the panel,

While not limited thereto, the invention is peculiarly well suited for incorporation in panel units of the type used in preiabricated house constructions, and for the purpose of illustration, but not limitation, will be disclosed in conjunction with such a panel unit.

Prior to my invention, panel units used on both the interior and exterior of houses have been open to the objection that so-called dust squares accumulate, due to the precipitation of dust by reason of condensation taking place opposite the areas where the framing members contact the covering panels, this being due to the fact that heat passes more rapidly through the contacting areas between the framing and panel members than at other points. When the heat reaches the outside of a panel, it strikes the cold air and condenses to form moisture in the area directly opposite the framing members, and such moisture picks up Whatever dirt is in the air so that eventually prominent squares of dust precipitate on the exposed faces of the panels. Such precipitated dust presents a problem which has been recognized by various housing agencies and by leading paint and insulation manufacturers, and for the past ten years numerous attempts have been made to solve the problem, but so iai' as I am aware no one has achieved such a construction. The present invention solves the problem by the provision of a building unit comprising a supporting member or members formed with a multiplicity of iiutes on at least one face thereof, and wherein there is a cover panel contacting the solid areas between the flutes of the supporting member whereby the heat conductivity between the iluted member and the panel is lessened to such an extent as to inhibit the precipitation of dust on the exposed face of the panel.

For a more complete disclosure of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a building unit embodying the invention, with portions broken away.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

1 Claim. (Cl. 20-15) l' The present invention relates to an improved Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section @n line IIL-e111 of Figure i.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section on line Ivm-1V of Figure l..

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure l shows one panel unit embodying the invention and comprising a plurality of upright wooden studs or frame members I0 spaced, for example, approximately 16 inches on centers and having cross members I2 spanning the spaces between them and suitably secured thereto. The members I9 and I2 may be nailed, doweled or otherwise secured to one another to form a skeleton frame which is adapted to be covered on the exterior with a weather-exposed panel I4 and on the inside with a wall panel I6. The panels I4 and I6 may be made of plywood of suitable thickness, and the intervening spaces between these panels may be filled with rock wool bats or any other conventional form of heat insulating material.

A characteristic feature of the present invention is the formation of a multiplicity of utes or depressions I8 in the opposite faces of the uprights I0 and to also form similar flutes or depressions in the opposite faces of the cross members I2. The panels I4 and I6 will firmly Contact the solid Iareas between the flutes or depressions, and preferably will be cemented or otherwise intimately bonded to the uprights II! and cross members I2. The bonding of the panels to the solid contacting faces of the frame members will usually make a substantially hermetic seal about the spaces formed by the utes. The multiplicity of flutes formed in the uprights I0 and cross members I2 will provide an extensive volume of dead air between the inner faces of the plywood panels and the outer faces of the uprights Ill and cross members I2. Thus the dead air space will materially lessen the heat conductivity between the fluted members and the panels in such manner as to inhibit the precipitation of dust on the panels, and will solve the hitherto unsolved problem of preventing unsightly dust squares on the exposed faces of the panels.

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive the invention has been exemplified in conjunction with plywood panels bonded to wooden uprights and cross members formed with flutes in the exterior faces thereof. It is to be understood, however, that panels other than those of plywood may be used, and the advantages of the invention may be realized in constructions employing steel or other metal framing members. Such an alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5, wherein reference numeral Hla represents a sheet metal upright of bix-like form with a multiplicity of grooves i8 formed therein by the corrugated cross-sectional contour of the walls of the upright member which are contacted by the covering panels MB and Ia. The panels, as illustrated in the modication, instead of being of plywood, may be regarded as formed of various composition boards known to those skilled in the art. Obviously, if desired, instead of using nonmetallic composition panels, I may use metal panels, the important point being to provide a multiplicity of flutes in the supporting members of the panels so as to lessen the heat conductivity and prevent the precipitation of dust on the eX- posed faces of the panels.

While I have described preferred embodiments of the invention quite precisely, it is to be understood that the drawings and description are to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense, since various modications may be made without departure from the invention as 25 2,118,237

defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A prefabricated panel unit adapted to be incorporated in a Wall of a building, comprising a pair of spaced substantially parallel panels; a frame including a plurality of spaced upright and transverse frame members the opposite faces of which are bonded to said panels, a bonded face of each of said frame members including a plurality of spaced grooves and alternately disposed flat surfaces extending longitudinally of said frame member, said at surfaces being firmly bonded to the adjacent panel by adhesive material, and said grooves being sufiiciently large in cross section to provide substantial volumes of air between said panels and said frame members and to reduce substantially the heat transmission capacity of said frame members.

FOSTER GUNNISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Slayter et al. May 24, 1938 2,218,465 Gunnison Oct. 15, 1940 2,288,104 Pasquier June 30, 1942 

